Tottenham Hotspur hold an ‘interest’ in signing RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, but Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici staying at the club could be key to being able to sign him, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
Back in November, TuttoMercatoWeb reported that Conte was planning a summer transfer swoop for Gvardiol, amid interest from a whole host of top European clubs, with the manager hoping that Ivan Perisic could convince his compatriot about the move.
There has been even more demand for the Croatian’s services since then, owing to his ‘tremendous‘ performances for his national side at the World Cup, with Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid also emerging as potential suitors.
Jones has now provided an update on whether Tottenham will be able to win the race for the 20-year-old’s signature, and it appears as though they may have to wait until the summer before launching an offensive.
The journalist told GIVEMESPORT: ““Essentially, we need to see how this season plays out first.
“See whether Antonio Conte stays in charge. See whether Fabio Paratici is still pulling the strings and can make something like this happen.
“It’s always been a case that Tottenham have had an interest in him.”
TIF thoughts on Gvardiol to Tottenham…
Lauded as a ‘monster’ by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, there is no wonder that the youngster is one of the most sought-after talents in European football, as he has been phenomenal for RB Leipzig and Croatia in the past year.
The 6 foot 1 powerhouse has exhibited just how comfortable he is on the ball by averaging 85.85 attempted passes per 90, in the 99th percentile compared to other centre-backs, while he has also weighed in with more tackles and interceptions than Eric Dier, highlighting that he would be an improvement defensively as well.
While Tottenham would likely need to break the bank to sign Gvardiol, he is one of the hottest centre-back prospects on the continent, and would already be a huge improvement on existing options at the club.